Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water
by HobbitGirlForever
Summary: A valentine's ball and banquet at Hogwarts!!!
1. Chapter One Secret Wish

~Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water~

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Disclaimer- Neither the characters nor the setting nor the song are mine. They are the property of JK Rowling and Paul Simon and Art Garfunkle.

~Part One~ A Secret Wish~

Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry was buzzing with the news that there was to be a Valentine's Banquet and Ball the following week. Planning for the decorations and dinner had already begun. The dinner was to be open to all but the ball was to only be for the 4th-7th years. Though the other students were disappointed about the "injustice" of it all, they soon were thrilled to learn of the elaborate plans for the banquet. It's only rival for grandeur was the Sorting Banquet at the beginning of the year.

However the place where the talk of the party was the loudest was the Griffindor common room. The majority of the planning committee was the ladies of Griffindor, the leader of which was Hermione Granger. Everyone was surprised when she volunteered to take this leadership role. Normally she was too focused on her studies to be troubled by such trivial and non-sensible thing as a party. She told all that asked her of her reasoning that she was doing it solely for the fact that leadership roles looked good on one's record. This however, was not her only reason, there was another; a secret wish. 

"Alright everyone this meeting of the planning committee must now come to order!" Hermione demanded with hands on her hips. Already she was becoming frustrated with all of the giggling and gossip. Seeing her obvious lack of patience the others immediately quieted. "Thank you. Let us get down to business." 

In the following hours the Griffindor girls planned the entire banquet and ball down to the very last spoon. Apparently, the finished just before something occurred that sent the entire room into chaos. The entry of Harry Potter. He had just returned from Quiddich practice along with Ron, Fred and George Weasley. 

"Harry did you hear about the Valentine's Ball and Banquet? It sounds so positively divine. Don't you think so Harry? Who are you going with Harry?" Lavender interrogated. 

Harry gulps looking very uncomfortable in the situation at hand. He glances over at Ginny Weasley who's face has turned as red as her hair in anger.

"I will be going with Ginny, if she will have me that is." Harry glances over at the young witch in the corner.

She leaps to her feet with joy and runs over to Harry with a huge grin dominating her face. "Of course I will!" She hugs him tightly, which he returns instantly with a smile matching her own. He releases her when he hears the three slightly peeved older Weasley brothers clearing their throats.

Hermione sighs, entirely happy for Ginny and Harry, yet jealous of her friends happiness. She glances sadly at Ron startled to find him already looking at her. Ron smiled nervously before looking back to his twin brothers. George looked at Ron expectantly and Ron shrugged. Fred sighed in exasperation before leading them to the boys dormitories. After they had reached the fifth years' dormitory, where Ron was staying, George hit Ron across the back of the head.

"Ouch! What the bloody hell was that for." He exclaimed rubbing his sore head.

"You twit! If you don't ask her to the Ball soon, someone else will, and then you will be incredibly sorry. You will receive no pity from either of us, nor Harry even I suspect. He is too happy for himself and he, like us, has lost patience with your lack of courage!"

"Yes, yes I know. I will ask her when then time is just right."

"Ah, but Ron the time will _never_ be just right." Informed Fred. 


	2. Chapter Two With Friends Like This

Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water

Chapter Two- With Friends Like This…

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Disclaimer- They are not mine and we ALL know it!!!

Hermione Granger sighed as she strolled down a dimly lit hallway at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Tears began to well up in her spice colored eyes as she contemplated her sorrows. 'What is wrong with me?! He is only my friend I can not expect anything from him. I sincerely wish that he would ask me to the Valentine's Ball. Can he not see how I feel about him?' These thoughts overwhelmed her and she hurried to the nearest wall and leaned her back against it for support. Suddenly glad for the fact that most of the students were at dinner now and could not see her break down in a fit of tears.

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At that same time Draco Malfoy was also wandering the hall of the school. He had been in the Slytherin house after his Quidditch practice and had fallen asleep on a ominous looking black sofa in the common room. He had awoken with the realization that he was missing dinner and that none of his fellow Slytherins had bothered to wake him, for the fear of his wrath. He donned his cloak, checking to make sure that his wand was still in the small inside pocket where he kept it, before hurrying out of the common room. His pace slowed as he rationalized that there was no way for him to get to the Great Hall in time for dinner, besides Apparating (which is literally impossible inside of Hogwarts), so he slowed his pace greatly. 

He began to think of the Valentine's Ball and Banquet and of the young witch who he ached to accompany. His parents would never have approved of his choice, she was not a Slytherin after all, but what did he care what they thought anyways. 'Stop thinking about her Draco, it would take a miracle for her to accept your invitation anyways.'

Draco strolled around the corner with his hands in his pockets, when his ice blue eyes widened in surprise. For there, sitting in the corner with her head in her hands was the girl that had just moments before dominated all of his thoughts.

Her bushy brown hair falling over her delicate face and slumped shoulders. Her small frame was trembling furiously. This sight tugged at his very heart and soul, causing him to reach out a pallid hand and place it gently on her shoulder. 

"Hermione." He whispered cautiously.

She slowly raised her eyes to meet his, shock and sadness could be seen in her beautiful eyes. Tears cascaded down her flushed face and her lips trembled with unspoken anguish.

"What is wrong Hermione, please tell me. I will not tease you nor will I tell a soul, I swear on….the ghost of….ummm….Salazar Slytherin."

Hermione raised an eyebrow as she debated the issue internally. Finally she decided that Draco would be the perfect to confide in. She would not have to be worried about him telling Harry, Ginny, and especially Ron about her 'problems'. It was also considered a very serious gesture if a Slytherin was to swear upon it's founder. She inhaled deeply before agreeing to unburden her heart to none other than Draco Malfoy.

He put his back to the wall and slid into a sitting position immediately on her right hand side. Hermione smiled slightly at the young wizard at her right, trying not to notice that he was horribly good looking. His striking pale blue eyes watched her every move and his chiseled features softened a bit with concern. Draco was obviously well built and rather muscular from playing Quidditch. His darkness and deviant personality were intriguing. Hermione quickly shook these thought from her head as they were clouding her vision of the 'junior death eater'. 

"Well…quite frankly it has to do mostly with Ron."

Draco gulped as he wondered what he had gotten himself into. All he knew was that if that redheaded twit of a Weasley had hurt her in anyway that he would throttle him the very next time that he saw him. He then nodded for her to continue.

"Yesterday after the planning committee meeting for the Valentine's Ball and Banquet. Harry asked Ginny to the Ball now I am very jealous of her."

A look of utter surprise overtook Draco's thoughts… 'Hermione and Harry?' He had never even considered that possibility before, he always thought that his primary competition was Weasley.

She could nearly see the thoughts which were quickly formulating in his brain. "Oh goodness no! I am jealous of their happiness and the fact that Harry likes Ginny the same way that she likes him. Ron on the other hand sees me as another little sister and a friend. He is so blind, if he cannot see how I feel about him…" Her voice broke as she began to cry again.

Draco diffidently put his arms around her crying form and began to stroke her disheveled hair. She buried her face in his robes and continued to weep.

"Hermione, that prat does not deserve you. Anyone who hurts you so does not deserve you. He is a complete idiot, and a fool not to ask you." He whispered soothingly as he tightened his grip around her.

Within moments her tears ceased and she lifted her eyes to meet his. His confidence suddenly returned to him at the mere sight of her radiant eyes.

"Hermione…since Ron is such a prat and will not take you to the Ball and Banquet," He paused to take a breath "Would you be willing to settle for me?"

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Dinner had just ended in the Great Hall as Ron Weasley headed back to Griffindor. He was very worried about Hermione, she had not shown up for dinner and nobody knew where she had disappeared to. He thought of what his older brothers had told him the night before in the boys' dormitory. 'The time will never be just right' rung in his ears and plagued him mind since then. I will ask her tomorrow evening after the Quidditch game against Slytherin. After everyone else has gone to bed I will find an excuse to get her to meet me in the common room. After making his decision he grinned widely and corrected his atrocious posture. He strode happily down up the stairways and down the halls proud of his decision, until one fateful moment.

He rounded a corner to see Draco huddled in the corner with his arms wrapped tightly around some brainless Slytherin girl, no doubt. Then he made the spilt second decision to interrupt Malfoy's 'fun-filled evening' to take revenge on him for all the times that he had ruined fun and perfect moments.

"Malfoy! You Bloody Twit, having a bit of fun, are we?" Ron quipped stepping out of the shadows.

Draco immediately tensed up and released his grip on the girl that was clinging to him. As Ron neared him, his heart nearly stopped. The girl who Malfoy had been so tenderly holding only moments before was Hermione…his Hermione. His face turned crimson with rage as he clenched his fists at his sides.

"Hermione! What the Bloody Hell do you think you are doing! Associating with Slytherin scum is way below you! And Draco Malfoy none the less, the death eater wannabe!" He approached Hermione threateningly. His temper appeared to be getting the better of him, though in truth that was not it. It was his broken heart that was getting the better of him.

Draco leapt to his feet and stood between the distraught young Weasley and Hermione defensively. "Leave her alone you big dim ox or you be eating slugs before the day is done!" He reached for his wand as Hermione too stood and set a hand on his arm.

She pushed herself forward between the two before looking into Ron's eyes defiantly. "What is your problem all of a sudden _Ronald _?" Hermione asked spitefully. Ron peered questioningly into her eyes. Was he imagining things or could he see a spark of pain in her eyes. 

"I was looking for you because….I want to ask you to the Valentine's Ball…."his voice faded as the grin on Draco's grew.

"It just so happens that I already have a date!" Hermione exclaimed.

"Who?!" Ron yelled

"Draco." Hermione stated glancing over her shoulder to give Draco one of her winning smiles. "I am going with Draco Malfoy."

Draco caught Ron's distraught glance at him and he smirked. 

Ron pushed his way past Hermione and Malfoy and began to run towards the Griffindor tower. Even from this distance you could hear Ron angrily holler the password at the Fat Lady and the Portrait slam shut behind him.


	3. Chapter Three Time Is Not On Your Side

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Disclaimer- None of these characters etcetera belong to me, only the plot.

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Chapter Three- Time Is Not On Your Side

Ron ran through the portrait hole, the common room and then raced up the stairs to the fifth year boys' dormitory all the while blinking back the tears which threatened to flow down his tormented face. Upon reaching his destination he threw himself onto his bed and began to cry. He knew that it was neither the more mature nor the most "manly" thing to do, but he could not help it.

His heart ached with loneliness and loss. He wrapped his arms around himself in the hopes that it might relieve some of his pain. There he sat, his knees to his chest with his arms wrapped about them. He lay his head down on his knees as he heard the sound of someone running quickly up the steps.

"Ron! You have quite a bit of explaining to do! Starting with why Hermione is in the hallway with Draco, willingly none the less? Why are you in here instead of inflicting bodily harm upon him? Why is she smiling and laughing? Why is the fat lady moaning about reckless teenage boys and complaining of a headache? Why are you sitting here alone in your room…." Fred and George interrogated as the sat down on the end of the bed facing their little brother. 

Ron raised his head slowly and met their annoyed glances.

Their jaws dropped, they had not seen Ron cry since….they the time when they had turned his teddy bear into a giant, hairy spider. "Bloody Hell Ron! What's wrong?" Fred asked as he laid a hand on Ron's shoulder.

Tears began to stream down his face as he told his older brothers what had gone on in the past half hour. "You two were right. I waited too long."

"You don't mean that….She wouldn't…"George gasped his face filled with pure shock.

"She would, I mean she did. I left dinner early looking for her. I was worried because she never misses dinner entirely….I mean she will run in late because she lost track of time while studying." He paused remembering one such instance. He had been sitting with Harry, the two of them were eating everything they could get their hands on, when through the doorway ran Hermione. She was beautiful, her cheeks flushed due to embarrassment and exhaustion, her wild hair floating along behind her as she jogged towards their table. She smiled apologetically and quickly hugged Ron and Harry before sitting down between the two of them. Man, did he love her! He sighed and squeezed his eyes shut remembering what had just happened.

"Ron…earth to Ron." George said calling Ron back to reality.

"Sorry guys….uh….where was I?"

"You left early to look for Hermione." Fred reminded, voice filling with sympathy.

"Oh yeah." He breathed deeply before continuing. "I was walking towards the Gryffindor tower when I turned this corner to see Draco having a little bit of fun with some girl. I decided to torment him and his "little friend" . I spouted insults at him until I realized who he was 'snogging' with was….Hermione. Well I confronted her about it and Draco went to protect her….from me. Oh hell what have I done?!" His voice then broke and the tears rained down from his deep blue eyes. " And then asked her to the dance in hopes that she would leave Draco. But she only told me, quite proudly, that she was already going with Draco. It was then that I lost it completely and ran up here." He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as tears silently cascaded down onto his lap. "First Krum and now…..Malfoy? I could not even handle Yule Ball last year when she went with a halfway decent guy. Oh I just want to curl up and die, right now!" He mumbled before collapsing on the bed in tremendous pain, it was a though his heart had been ripped from his chest and trampled by a Hippogriff. 

"Oh gosh Ron! We are SO sorry." Fred said voice filled with sympathy as he remembered how he felt every time he saw Angelica with other guys, even her friends. He figured that if he multiplied this by like a hundred he might be close to seeing how his little brother felt.

"I wish that we hadn't been right about this. You cannot expect Hermione not to be asked to the ball by other lads though. She is a pretty girl, funny, practically a genius, brave, and she can tolerate you and Harry…..what a miracle." As soon as the last part had left his mouth he realized that it was quite the wrong thing to say.

Fred scowled at his twin as if to say 'nice one you twit make it worse!'. He quickly tried to repair the harm George had done and he pointed the door out to him. George immediately left to prevent him from saying anything else that was counterproductive. "I think what George meant to say was that Hermione is a wonderful girl who anyone with even half a brain would love to go with. It is that whole….the early worm gets eaten fast…no that's not it. The bird gets the early worm? No, no that ain't it either. AHA! The early bird gets the worm thing!"

Ron raised an eyebrow questioningly at Fred.

"Ok….hmmm…maybe a better illustration would be 'speak now or forever shut your trap.' That isn't the correct wording but you get the point. Hermione did not know that you like her as more than a friend so why would she wait for you to ask her?"

Ron shrugged and wiped the tears from his face and said, "Fred I know you are trying to help me and all but I would much rather be alone right now."

"Okay if that is what you want. Just holler if you need anything I will either be in my dorm or in the common room." He said hesitantly before hugging his brother about the shoulders and leaving them room and closing the door quietly.

It was an empty noise that resonated throughout the room. Ron laid his head down upon the bed and continued to weep. 

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George waited for Fred in the hall a blank look upon his face.

"How is he doing?"

"He will live and recover eventually. It was his fault that she did not go with him to the Yule Ball last year, that whole Fleur thing. I also remember him sayin' something 'bout not wanting to end up with a "troll" ." He chuckled slightly at his brother's behavior the previous year before solemnly adding. "But after the ball Hermione practically TOLD him to ask her to the next ball. I think that since she said that she should have waited at least a little bit longer for him to ask." Anger was boiling up inside of him, this girl kept hurting his brother. Accidentally or not he was going to confront her about it. Tonight.

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After a few more minutes of talking with Draco she returned to the common room with Harry and Ginny, who were walking by with faces filled with shock.

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"Belladonna Surprise!" Harry exclaimed to the Fat Lady

"Why Hermione fraternizing with the enemy are we?" She asked before swinging open to grant them entrance.

Hermione scowled but said nothing. She was not in the mood to argue with a painting tonight. Many of the Gryffindors had already returned from dinner and were about their own business now. Seamus, Dean, Neville, Parvati, and Lavender were sitting at a table at the far side of the room playing a game of Exploding Snap. Many of the younger Gryffindors were doing any homework that had not been finished yet while sitting on a rug in the middle of the room. 

"Were are Fred and George?" Ginny wondered aloud before shrugging.

"They will turn up. They always do. Usually when they are least wanted." Harry stated with a smirk on his face which was quickly wiped from his face by Ginny.

The trio went and sat down by the fireplace and began to talk happily. This was short lived, as Fred and George came stomping down the stairs disrupting all of the activities.

"Well if it isn't Herm-own-ninny!" George spat as he entered the room.

"Excuse me?" Hermione asked rather surprised she was not able to remember doing anything to offend the twins. She knew that it must have been something BIG because she had never seen this kind of anger displayed on their faces before.

"Congratulations Herm-own-ninny you are living up the what Rita Skeeter wrote about you during your fourth year!" Fred's face was crimson and fists were clenched at his sides.

"What on earth are you two idiots talking about?!" Ginny exclaimed looking rather confused and annoyed.

"Oh thanks to Herm-own-ninny here our dear brother has shut himself in his room!" Fred yelled before he lowered his voice to a whisper so that only those about the fire could hear what he was to say next. "Crying."

"What is this all about Hermione?" Harry asked as he turned to her.

"Well…" She began

"Herm-own-ninny was out in the hall 'snogging' with Draco Malfoy when Ron came across them. He was quite upset and angry and they argued a bit before he asked Herm-own-ninny to the Valentine's Ball!" Fred said tersely. 

"Snogging with Draco Malfoy!" Harry cried out in surprise.

"We were most certainly NOT snogging, we were…talking!" Hermione replied defensively.

"Oh Hermione! Ron finally asked you to the ball, I am so happy for you guys!" Ginny gushed having completely missing the whole Draco part of the story.

"I…." Hermione began only to be interrupted again by Fred.

"Oh don't congratulate the two of them so fast Ginny. After Ron asked her to the ball she haughtily informed him that she already had a date…again."

"Oh Hermione who are you going to the Valentine's Ball with?" Ginny asked curiously. 

Hermione said nothing she figured that Fred or George were going to say it and she did not want to be interrupted again.

"Well tell us Hermione who are you going with?" Harry questioned calmly.

"Oh yes do tell Herm-own-ninny!" Mocked George.

She whispered something, her face going rather red with embarrassment and anger.

"You will have to speak louder _dear_ Herm-own-ninny." Fred said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Draco Malfoy. I am going with Draco Malfoy! Okay are you happy now?" She cried as tears began to well up in her spice-colored eyes.

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	4. Chapter Four I Can't Do Anything Right

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Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water

Chapter Four- I Can't Do Anything Right

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Disclaimer- Only the plot is mine….everything else belongs to JK Rowling, P.O.D, and whoever else.

(A/N- Someone commented on the OOC behaviors of Hermione, Draco, and Ron. Let me explain this quickly….Hermione believes that the guy she likes doesn't like her back…duh she is going to be a little ummm angry. Draco….hmmm….can you say teenage boy? Ron is hurt….enough said. When people are angry, upset, and hurt they tend to not act like themselves.)

Ron dragged himself up out of the bed and over to the trunk at the foot of his bed. He ran his hand along the cool, smooth wood towards the latch. The latch clicked open and he eased the lid back on its creaking hinges. He released the lid and paused a moment to make sure that it would stay where he intended it to be. He reached into the trunk and retrieved a small metal box. Inside were the letters that Hermione had sent to him….every last one of them. Back in first year he had begun to save them, at the time he was not quite sure why except that he felt that he needed to. Since that first letter he had compulsively saved everything that he could get his hands on that somehow related to her. Ron pulled a bright blue strip of ribbon from within the box. It glided between his fingers as he remembered.

'She wore this ribbon in her hair last summer at the burrow. That day we went out to the meadow and just talked. That was until Harry convinced us to race. I won every race, of course. We returned home that night late and yet we sat down on the couch in the parlor to talk about our day. Harry was the first one to head upstairs to go to bed. After what seemed like only moments, I later found out that in reality it was three hours, Hermione too decided to head to bed. She walked over to me and hugged me. If that wasn't good enough she kissed me…on the cheek of course. She wished me a good night and hurried up the stairs. My cheek tingled where her lips had touched it, I raised my fingers to touch it as my eyes strayed to where she had sat. On the cushion lay her hair ribbon, without a second thought I picked it up and pocketed it. I should have told her then how I feel…'

A single tear glided down his cheek. She was gone now. 'There is no way that she would leave someone of Draco's caliber for someone like me. Why shouldn't she have someone who has what I don't? Draco is smart, rich, attractive (or so he had heard from nearly every girl within a hundred mile radius.) charming…in a sort of evil way. I on the other hand am not anywhere near clever, I'm dirt poor, and I never do anything right. Girls supposedly like the tall dark and handsome type. I have the tall part, but that doesn't count for anything if you don't have at least one of the others. Draco is tall too and he is definitely dark….as in dark magic.' Ron smiled slightly at the thought.

Ron placed the ribbon and the box with the letters on his bed and reached to close the trunk's heavy lid. At the last moment he reached in and retrieved another package. This he laid it on his bed before closing and latching his trunk. He then opened it and revealed his Christmas present from Harry and Hermione from last year…a muggle music player and some music for it. He turned it on and slipped the headphones over his ears. A/N- Harry and Hermione taught Ron to use the 'muggle music player' right after they gave it to him. The 'muggle music player works at Hogwarts because, with the help of Mr. Weasley, it was bewitched to do so. From the package he removed a music disc. The picture on the front of it appealed to his mood, dark. Ron placed the disc into the machine and snapped it into place. He flipped through a few songs until he found one that interested him. He lay back on his bed and let the words flow into his head…

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"So much to say so little time for me to explain the way I feel.

You only see things the way you want to see them,

It makes sense to you all these things you do.

You got it all figured while everyone is confused.

How do you do it?

In your mind I'm just blind.

You're right all of the time.

If I think for myself I guess I'm way out of line.

I'm not who you are.

I'm sorry…I'm so sorry.

I can't do anything right

You don't know me stay out of my life

Kick me while I'm down, I want you to.

I can't be like you…be like you.

No matter what I do it's never good enough

I give you all that is me; still it's never enough

So why try, I give up.

What does it feel like to be in your shoes?

And walk over everyone like you do?

Tear me down again, I want you to.

Your lovely, so beautiful

You're perfect in every way

Your interior rusted and I'm so disgusted.

Can't trust it

Your busted.

"I will never give you up Hermione….never." Ron whispered as he fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

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"The Draco Malfoy…as in…ferret boy?!" Asked Harry who was in a near stupor.

"Hermione! I can't believe you! You ditch my brother for _that_!" Screamed Ginny Weasley as her family's temper got the better of her too.

Hermione, gathering all the courage that she could, stood and faced Harry and Ron's siblings.

"What the bloody hell do you mean by saying that I ditched Ron!? I did NOT ditch him, we are friends not anything more! I had a crush on him since I first met him so it is his own bloody fault if he is too much of a coward to say anything or maybe he enjoyed being a prat and taunting me all of the time!"

The jaws of all those nearby dropped instantaneously. 

"Hermione….you _swore…" _Harry said looking rather taken aback. 


End file.
